Joseph Daniel Hudek IV, 24, pleaded guilty in February to four federal charges. The July 16, 2017 incident occurred early in the Delta Airlines flight as the plane had just passed Vancouver Island, according to U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Hudek was reportedly seated in the first class section of the plane, which carried 210 passengers and 11 crew members. As the plane entered the airspace over the Pacific Ocean, he emerged from the first class bathroom "in an agitated state" and tried to raise the lever of the exit door of the plane.

A passenger has been detained after attempting to enter the cockpit of a flight that took off from Seattle, injuring three people and forcing an emergency landing under the escort of fighter jets, reports say. The incident happened on early Thursday evening when Delta Air Lines Flight 129 took off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a flight to Beijing. The incident occurred about 45 minutes later. James Valles reports. (BNO News)

Media: WochIt Media

When two flight attendants intervened, Hudek reportedly punched one and threw the other to the floor, the court says. A passenger tried to help the flight attendants, but Hudek then hit him over the head with a wine bottle.

Multiple passengers jumped in to restrain him and one secured the exit handle of the door. The plane returned to Seattle.

Lon Arnold, a passenger on the flight, described to the court the permanent damage to his vision incurred when Hudek punched him in the eye. He also suffered a concussion with a hit from the wine bottle.

He remains out of custody until the federal Bureau of Prisons determines his placement and orders him to report to a prison in four to six weeks. The judge also ordered him to pay $67,841 in restitution to the victims and he will be prohibited from flying on commercial aircraft for three years after his prison term.

Hudek was convicted of one count of interference with flight crew and three counts of assault in special aircraft jurisdiction.